Running Costs » Australian Car Advice

Introducing the green Mini E

October 20th, 2008 12 Comments

The BMW Group will be the world’s first manufacturer of premium vehicles to deploy a fleet of some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic to act as a test bed for the new technology.

Mini E will be powered by a 150 kW electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox which is also both noise and emission free.

Bike sales set another record

October 14th, 2008 5 Comments

Maybe it’s the cost of petrol, or the lack of parking. But whatever the reason, it seems motorbike sales are soaring with a record number of bikes and scooters leaving showroom floors. Official Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries figures show sales up five per cent on the same period last year.

While road bikes remain the most popular segment in the market, it was scooters which recorded the biggest increase, 14.5 per cent up on last year. Overall, 96,281 motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles were sold to the end of September with road bikes making up 36,128 (10.8 per cent increase) of that figure followed off-roads at 33,897 (2.0 per cent decrease), ATV’s 14,541 (2.2 per cent increase and scooters with 11,715 sales.

Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler cars electrifying

September 25th, 2008 9 Comments

Proudly proclaiming that “actions speak louder than words” Chrysler has announced that it and its ENVI organisation have new production-intent, advanced electric-drive technology packaged in three different vehicles – one for each of its brands, Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge.

Chrysler will select one electric-drive model to be produced in 2010 for consumers in North American markets, and European markets after 2010.

The US company says that additionally, approximately 100 Chrysler electric vehicles will be on the road in government, business, utility and Chrysler development fleets in 2009.

It said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles, and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.

At its World Headquarters today, Chrysler revealed its electric-drive prototypes – Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV – and demonstrated the driving performance and capability of each.

“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC.

“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.”

The development of Chrysler’s electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles is led by ENVI – representing the first four letters of “environmental” – the company’s in-house organisation that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies.

The company said the development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles is maturing quickly.

“ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations,” said Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President – Chrysler LLC.

“With ENVI, Chrysler is developing technology to bring electric vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient range-extended electric vehicles to market.”

The Dodge EV development electric vehicle is a two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sports car that marries high performance with zero tailpipe emissions.

“The Dodge EV sets a new standard for what can be expected in electric-drive vehicles,” said Lou Rhodes, Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering, and President – ENVI.

“The electric-vehicle technology enables a fun-to-drive performance sports car and helps redefine the vision of an environmentally responsible vehicle for the Dodge brand.”

The electric-drive system consists of three primary components: a 200kW electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery and an integrated power controller.

The 200kW electric-drive motor generates 650 Nm of torque. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor delivers outstanding performance, accelerating the Dodge EV to 100km/h in less than five seconds, with 400 metre times of 13 seconds.

The Dodge EV has a top speed of more than 210km/h.

The Jeep EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that provides a glimpse into the future of a “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” vehicle with renowned Jeep Wrangler capability.

The Jeep EV combines Wrangler’s unmatched off-road capability with the ultimate “Tread Lightly” mindset by providing nature ambassadors with the ability to roam the planet and take care of it at the same time.

The Jeep EV range-extended electric vehicle uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery system, and a small petrol engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.

The 200kW electric motor generates 400Nm of torque. With approximately 36 litres of petrol, the Jeep EV has a range of 644 kilometres, including 64 kilometres of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation.

“We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies,” said Mr Rhodes.

The Chrysler EV development vehicle is a range-extended electric vehicle that demonstrates another possible application of ENVI electric-drive technology in the segment-leading Chrysler Town & Country, known in Australia as Chrysler Grand Voyager.

“With the Chrysler EV, we are able to blend seven-passenger capability and the luxury of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with electric-drive technology, demonstrating family practicality with zero compromise,” said Mr Rhodes.

“ENVI’s electric-drive development vehicles showcase our accelerated application of electric-drive systems into a wide range of vehicles in Chrysler’s future product portfolio.”

The Chrysler EV combines the electric-drive components of an electric vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed.

This provides all of the positive attributes of an electric vehicle and extends the driving range to be equivalent to today’s petrol-powered vehicles – without compromises.

The Chrysler EV uses a 190kW motor, producing 350Nm of torque, providing 0-to-100km/h acceleration in approximately nine seconds. The Chrysler EV range-extended electric vehicle can drive 64 kilometres on all-electric power, and boasts a range of 644 kilometres on approximately 36 litres of petrol.

Chrysler says this makes the Chrysler EV the perfect fuel-efficient family vehicle.

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Common sense loses in LCT debate

September 23rd, 2008 33 Comments

Common sense is yet to prevail over the current Luxury Car Tax debacle, with the Senate rejecting an Opposition bid to raise the luxury price threshold to $90,000.

- George Skentzos

The proposal was an acceptable compromise, maintaining the current LCT rate of 25 percent for vehicles over the existing $57,180 threshold, and applying the proposed 33 percent LCT to vehicles priced $90,000 and over.

Honda Accord most affordable large car

September 22nd, 2008 40 Comments

During its relatively short time on the market, the new Accord has accumulated some very impressive titles mostly thanks to its big car benefits and small car economy.

Overall, the four-cylinder Honda Accord has been named the most fuel efficient and affordable large car with a starting price tag of only $29,990.

Toyota adds LandCruiser 70 Series to capped price servicing program

July 21st, 2008 18 Comments

Toyota Australia has extended its capped-price servicing program to the LandCruiser 70 Series, thus covering every vehicle in its range.

All LandCruiser 70 Series sold with a July 2008 service plate are now eligible to receive up to six capped price scheduled services for a cost of no more than $250.

Toyota Aurion tops large car survey

July 18th, 2008 55 Comments

The Toyota Aurion AT-X has bested its rivals to be named the least expensive Australian-built large car to run, according to a recent survey performed by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV).

The survey took into account factors such as cost of finance, depreciation, scheduled services, registration, insurance, fuel and tyres in order to evaluate each vehicle.

Steel prices may bump up Nano’s cost

July 7th, 2008 22 Comments

India’s Tata Motors is rapidly making a name for itself in other parts of the world following its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover as well as introducing the ultra-budget Nano car.

However the Nano’s claim to fame may have been tarnished following a 50 percent rise in the price of steel over the past year, potentially increasing the nominal cost of the car.

Ford says Diesel/LPG not Hybrid is future

June 13th, 2008 94 Comments

Ford Motor Company Australia is in no hurry to join its rivals Toyota and GM Holden in rushing down the hybrid power path, preferring instead to stick with its proven LPG and diesel as alternative fuels.

-David Twomey

At a monthly media briefing in Melbourne today (Thursday) Vice President Marketing and Sales, Mark Winslow, said Ford was ‘comfortable’ with its current strategy, which focuses on the E-Gas variant of the Ford Falcon and increased diesel power.

He also intimated that Ford globally was working of “low displacement, forced induction” engine technology, taken to mean small displacement engines that use both turbo and supercharging to provide the power and performance of a much larger engine while offering the fuel efficiency of a small engine.

Ford Australia President Bill Osborne, who normally takes the media briefing but is in the United States where the Australian government is discussing the future of the local automotive industry with both General Motors and Ford, has already said the Falcon will have diesel power by 2010, when it also switches from a locally-made straight six-cylinder engine to an imported V6.

Mr Winslow said Ford definitely saw a lot more diesel-powered cars in its future, along with other developing technologies, but was not really talking about hybrids.

He said the E-Gas Falcon was a proven green vehicle that provided both lower tailpipe emissions and lower running costs.

He cited the example of an E-Gas Falcon XT which he said, run over 25,000 kilometres a year, was $350 cheaper to operate than the best-selling Toyota Corolla.

Mr Winslow said that in the past two years E-Gas Falcons had gone from having residual values $1000 less than a petrol car to commanding a $2500 premium.

Further questioning the rush to hybrids, Mr Winslow posed the question of who would buy all the three year old used hybrids that would head onto the market as a result of the government backed push to encourage Toyota to build 10,000 Hybrid Camry’s a year in Australia.

“We would be concerned about the profile of the second user for such cars, which we expect in the first place will be bought by companies and government.”

He questioned whether typical second-hand private buyers would be keen to take on hybrids, with the potential of costly battery replacement.

“E-Gas on the other hand has the proven record of operating economy plus it is greener, with four per cent less emissions, and that is where Ford is already firmly established.”

Mr Winslow also confirmed that E-Gas was now being built in the new FG Falcon range and said the cars were being shipped to dealers.

He also emphasised that from about 2010 Ford would be pursuing its plans for a diesel engine in the Falcon and added that once the next-generation Focus small car was being built in Australia, it too would offer a locally-made diesel alternative.

He said Ford believed these cars would also present a strong case to government and fleet buyers as alternatives that were fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

Mr Winslow said that in 2007, of total Falcon sales, 15 per cent of sedans, 41 per cent of wagons and 37 per cent of utilities were E-Gas.

He said Ford had stepped up production of the LPG components about two years ago and was in a position to meet almost any demand for E-Gas in the future.

He also added that by 2010 Ford would have the Australian-built Focus with a diesel engine to compete with the Toyota Camry hybrid when it eventually became available.

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2008 Renaultsport dCi diesel hot-hatch

June 4th, 2008 15 Comments

As the push towards more diesel powered cars on our roads continues Renault has confirmed it will become the second European manufacturer to launch a ‘hot hatch’ with diesel power.

- David Twomey

Later this year the Mégane RenaultSport dCi will follow the Volkswagen Golf GT Sport 2.0 TDI in breaking open the sports hot-hatch market in Australia.

To create the new model Renault has fitted its existing top-end 2.0dCi diesel engine to the chassis originally developed for the Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo.

This powerplant develops 127kW at 3750rpm plus a generous 360Nm of torque at 2000rpm and, in terms of breadth, its operational power band is comparable with that of a turbocharged petrol engine.

It compares favourable with the VW Golf GT diesel which develops 2kW less and 10Nm less at slight lower rpm.

The Renault engine is packed with advanced technology, including a variable geometry turbocharger which provides a wide spread of torque throughout the rev range. Piezoelectric injectors are capable of operating up to five times per cycle, which helps reduce engine noise, fuel consumption and particulate emissions.

Coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox it produces a combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.5L/100km and CO2 emissions of just 172g/km.

Beneath the skin you’ll find the underpinnings of the petrol-powered Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo and our experience with this car means we wouldn’t disagree with Renault’s claims that the standard Renault Sport chassis blends dynamic handling with the kind of comfort everyday driving demands.

Independent steering-axis front suspension guarantees precise and efficient handling in all circumstances, while body movement is minimized by a 20mm-diameter anti-roll bar.

The front suspension has also been tuned to suit Mégane Renault Sport dCi’s characteristics and weight distribution. Spring stiffness and damper settings are consequently specific to this diesel version.

The rear suspension is based around a programmed-deflection flexible beam, the torsional stiffness of which is equivalent to that of the Cup chassis version of Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 T. The suspension components themselves are identical to those employed on the Sport chassis Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 T.

Powerful and fade-free, the Brembo braking system features four discs that are impressive in terms of both diameter (312mm and ventilated at the front, 300mm at the rear) and thickness (28mm at the front, 11mm at the rear). The front discs are also equipped with four-piston calipers.

The 18” alloy wheels run 225/40R18 tyres and the electronically variable power steering has been set up specifically to suit the car’s weight distribution.

The car will come with standard ESP and the Megane already has a EuroNCAP five-star safety rating.

Like the VW GT diesel the Renaultsport with a diesel engine will offer drivers a sporty driving experience coupled to frugal fuel efficiency.

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Petrol rip off must stop – VACC

May 31st, 2008 42 Comments

A major automotive industry body has launched a stinging attack on the practices, including predatory pricing, which it says are leading to motorists being hit by constantly rising fuel prices.

The Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) says the rampant rise in the cost of fuel affects all Australians, and yet, there seems to be little sign of any relief.

This week, both Federal Parties, Labor and Liberal, were divided on how best to tackle the issue.

“VACC is concerned that there are few answers coming from Canberra. Where then, motorists might ask, is a considered resolution going to come from?” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said.

“While VACC acknowledges that the prime reason for rampant pump prices is the rising cost of oil on world markets, there are certain obvious measures, which if taken immediately, would go some way to reducing costs for road-users,” he said.

VACC says that on the question of competition, the oil companies and their supermarket alliance partners have nearly total vertical control of the market, and their “comfortable oligopoly,” as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) refers to it, must be broken.

VACC contends that oil companies, through their supermarket partners, are attempting to remove independent operators from the market through predatory pricing practices, to gain total market control. The ACCC must act to stop predatory pricing.

It says supermarket shopper dockets are a con. Few motorists can now believe that they are not paying for the so-called ‘discount’ through the supermarket check-out. This con must be exposed by the media.

Taking up a growing call the VACC says; “GST on the excise component of petrol is indefensible and counter to the former Howard and Costello Government’s pledge when it introduced the 10% ‘Goods and Services Tax’ in 2000. This tax-on-a-tax must be abolished which will save motorists nearly four cents a litre.”

VACC questions the relevance of world parity pricing in the current distorted world market where speculators are in large part responsible for the record barrel prices. It is time that world parity pricing was reviewed.

It also says the $2000 vehicle rebate for LPG fitment must be maintained until 2014 as planned. Australia’s local vehicle manufacturers would have a clear market advantage if LPG was designed to fit integrally into more of their locally produced models, and fitted at the production stage.

Finally it says the Victorian Government must introduce new road safety initiatives to make it safer for commuters to choose two-wheeled vehicles.

“To achieve this, VACC proposes a designated system of “Safe Routes” with safety boxes, access by scooter riders to particular identified bicycle lanes on some city arterials, boxed turns on certain busy intersections, and initiatives to improve road-sharing practices by drivers.